Standing As I Do Before God - Cecilia McDowall - Tenebrae conducted by Nigel Short

Cecilia McDowall's Standing As I Do Before God is a poignant illustration of nurse Edith Cavell's final moments before her death, when she was executed by a German firing squad after helping Allied servicemen escape into neutral territories. The soprano soloist, Emma Walshe, sings Cavell's own words, and the choir support her with poet Seán Street’s reflection on her final steps. It is a powerfully moving piece - read the description for the full text.

To hear this piece and others live in concert, join Tenebrae in London on 19th June: https://www.tenebrae-choir.com/events

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I have seen death so often that it is not strange or
fearful to me.
Standing as I do in view of God and eternity,
I realise patriotism is not enough:
I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone.
And when the time was close,
For once her eyes filled with tears,
Then she quietly rose, walked silently through the
stilled prison,
The grey dawn light, passed gas flame,
Tired flowers, out beyond her final night,
A flame alight in hours before infinity,
In the presence of death leaving all enmity:
In view of God we are air after breath.
Standing as I do.

___

Recorded in March 2025 in St John's Church, Hyde Park by kind permission of the Vicar & Churchwardens.

Produced by Knight Classical.

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Soloist: Emma Walshe
Soprano: Rachel Haworth, Victoria Meteyard, Laura Newey, Áine Smith, Katie Trethewey, Rosanna Wicks
Alto: Hannah Cooke, Martha McLorinan, Elisabeth Paul, Olivia Shotton
Tenor: Jeremy Budd, Jack Granby, Nicholas Madden, Tom Robson
Bass: Joseph Edwards, Johnny Howard, Angus McPhee, George Vines
Director: Nigel Short

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